Viking Helvetia 2014 8-Day Rhine River Cruise Review
Day 5        November 6, 2014              
                 Rudesheim, Germany                                                  Departure:  9:00AM
                 Koblenz, Germany                      Arrival: 12:30PM 
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Cast off: At 9:00am we left Rudesheim for Koblenz, Germany and traveled through the picturesque Middle Rhine. This part of the Rhine was declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. The river valley had steep cliffs, a castle perched on almost every hilltop, colorful vineyards and quaint villages with churches of all sizes. We were given maps that showed all the different castles and churches along the river, but our program director also announced the upcoming sights along the river to those inside the warm Lounge and to those up on the freezing deck. It truly was a magnificent sight especially with the fall foliage and its brilliant colors. This was scenic cruising at its very best! 

Churches Along The Way

Fall Colors Were Beautiful

Steep vineyards planted vertically

Over 40 castles along this part of the river

Over 40 castles along this part of the river

Many castles have been restored

Quaint village along the river bank

More fall color

Many castles are still in ruins

Presentations: The program director gave two presentations during the day. The first was Germany Today which was a slide show giving the history of Germany but also told of its importance in today’s world. The other program, which was later in the afternoon, was an informative presentation about the European Union.

Castle owners collected tolls and were considered "robber barons"

Villages and churches

Villages and churches

Lunch From the Salad Bar

Lunch Menu

Banana Split For Desert

Afternoon Excursion: After arriving in Koblenz around lunchtime, we had the opportunity to tour the Marksburg Castle which was built around 1117 as a fortress to protect the small town of Braubach. It was slightly damaged in 1945 but not destroyed like the other hill castles on the Rhine. It was recommended that the passengers wanting to participate in the tour should be in good physical condition because the tour included a very steep incline to get to the castle entrance and also walks over rough cobblestones, narrow steps and very uneven ground. Our guided tour through the castle took us through the Great Battery, the Knights’ Hall, the chapel dedicated to St. Mark, the living area and kitchen, the blacksmith shop, and the armory.

Castle Tower

Steep Incline To Marksburg Castle

Castle overlooks the small town of Braubach

Knight's Hall

Battery

Kitchen

Chapel Ceiling

Blacksmith Shop

German Meal

Dinner: This evening’s dinner was A Taste of Germany. There were buffets located in three different areas of the ship (Restaurant, Lounge and Galley) with all the local German favorite foods.  Each buffet had different foods so you had many different choices to try. In addition to all the wonderful German dishes, our entertainment during dinner was several accordion players dressed in their German lederhosen and playing their favorite German songs.  It was a very unique experience.

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